Afternoon Dust
by justonemorefic
Summary: As soon as she saw the glint of baby blue metal, her heart began its sickening throb. He was not supposed to be here. —Teddy/Victoire/Scorpius—


**Afternoon Dust.**_  
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The wind whipping around Shell Cottage died at the cusp of summer, stifled by heat. It breathed its last in a lingering sigh and its skeleton toppled over the bluff, where it remained.

During the afternoon of some unnumbered July day, the unnatural quiet finally ceased, replaced by a growing rumble. Teddy did not seem to sense it as he sat on his couch, contented to a sleeping stupor by the medication. Victoire, however, immediately froze and the pot she held nearly slipped from her grip. Her feet transcribed every vibration, down to the choking hiccups of the engine. She had almost forgotten it in the month it had been gone.

She stepped out onto the porch, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she looked toward the stretch of road at the edge of her family's property. A lone cloud of dust stretched across the horizon, hanging in the air stubbornly, and growing ever closer. As soon as she saw the glint of baby blue metal, her heart began its sickening throb. _He_ was not supposed to be here.

She stepped into the sand, flinging her shoes back on the welcome mat. She had a way of leaping across the dunes. He whispered in her ear once about fairies and queens and how her skirt fluttered like theirs when she danced across the beach. It was the one quality she had yet to lose.

Victoire reached the edge of the road at the same his car stopped. It was a vintage model, the kind that Muggles loved to fawn over, and it looked as young as ever. But for all the marvel, it was still nothing but residual rebellious of his teen years, bought purely to see the reaction on his grandfather's face.

He stepped out onto the pavement, shaking his sandy blonde hair once, and leaving the door open behind him. His eyes met hers for a moment before lingering at her feet. "You still go barefoot," he said, a smile on his lips.

"Why are you here, Scorpius?" she whispered.

He placed his hand on the fence post where she rested hers, tracing each of her fingers up to its apex. "I want to make sure that your decision is final."

The memories of spring moved farther and closer all at once. Wisps of his voice against her neck. A palm against the small of her back. She didn't make a move to retract her hand, morbidly fascinated at how much his touch still made her tremble. "Teddy's doing better." A quiet utterance amongst wicked thoughts.

Scorpius' smile faded into melancholy, the glimmer of his eyes faint. "You know he wouldn't be able to tell the difference if we continue." He traced the veins on the back of her hand. "And... he would want you to be happy."

She knew she couldn't be happy in the connotation he spun, but she was at ease knowing that she took the path of least regrets. She could deal with longing, but not regrets. Safety, a far cry from the Victoire who liked to leap farther than she should. "The healers say that he might able to lower the dosage." A pithy excuse. "There's some permanent damage, but it's localized."

He reached up to lift her chin and she knew he was looking at her sallow cheeks. She had been trying to scrub the color back in for weeks. "Domestication," he said, almost in a reprimand.

She pushed his hand away. "_Obligation_," she corrected.

"Not love?"

She had loved Teddy for so long that she hadn't noticed when she first forgot the feeling. She never knew if it was because of his worsening condition or whether it was inevitable. It kept her up more than once. Scorpius reminded her of what she missed, and the thought alone was enough to lure her to his arms. She kept the urge abated whenever she could and however much it strained her, she kept it abated then. She took her other hand back finally. "Taking care of him is more important."

His eyes were distant, looking past her. "You'll wither."

She turned head slightly, a blurry figure standing on the porch in her periphery. She doubted she could grow to love him again, but contentment, perhaps. She faced Scorpius once more, her lips pressed together. "You underestimate me."

The corners of his mouth curled upwards. "I never understood you Weasley women and your faithfulness."

She would never consider herself on a similar level to Mama or Grandmama, but she let him put her on a pedestal one last time.

In a sigh, he stepped back into his car and shut the door behind him. He started up the engine and put an arm outside his window, his grey eyes resigned. "I love you."

Victoire felt the twinge of longing and regret intermingling, but prudently, she did not respond. Scorpius took the wheel, put the car in reverse and turned it around. She stood in the gathering dust until the glimmer of his mirrors could no longer be seen. When she headed back toward the cottage, which she always noted as too big for its supports, she still saw Teddy waiting for her by the entryway. Her steps sunk into the sand, slowing her down, but her feet found the smooth wood of the porch eventually.

"Who was that?" asked Teddy as she was about to brush past him. Like a tamed giant, his voice never rose above a whispering hoarse.

She smiled in her accustomed bland manner, a touch of pity in her lilt. "Someone asking for directions."

Just as she was about to disappear into the shadows of the house, he took her hand, drew it up his lips and kissed her palm. They stood in that position, her hand enfolded between both of his own and clutched as if it were some wonder, as the tired whistle of the wind picked up. At last, he let her go and her limbs rested by her own body once again.

Hanging by the door frame, she leaned across to kiss his forehead and then returned to the neglected pots in the kitchen.

It was... enough.


End file.
